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About 



Fresno County 



California's Marvel 



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»ee 

Map 

in 

Center 

of 

Book 





California's 



facts is Tresno County Ca JSK/ 




1NTRODUC T OR Y The following description of Fresno County, as presented to the 

reader, is a conservative statement of its wonderful resources. 
Nothing that cannot be verified is allowed on these pages, the Fresno County Chamber 
of Commerce believing that only truth stands, and the truth about Fresno County stands 
sufficiently, as a marvelous revelation. 



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It is truly a wonderful story/ 9 




jm THE CALIFORNIA STATE B0AB1I 
TRADE, SAN FRANCISCO, for FJgf 
'teatire aid information eo Califoim 



INTENDING J3CJ3C from the East to Fresno City can book from any point by way of 
%£$£$£ VISITORS i^os Angeles or San Francisco, witiv. s> op-over priyligggs. . '; > •; \ a 

note—Von*t Tail to Secure the Stop-over Privileges. 




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*T T'lsTStEET SCENE, "FRESNO,; CITY 



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pppcisjn rm TINJTV'c: geographical position is in the center of the great San Joaquin 
= — ■ valley, and the county seat, Fresno City, is situated near the 

geographical center of the State of California, being about 200 miles south of San Fran- 
cisco, 275 miles north of I^os Angeles and 100 miles from the sea. The county comprises 
3,600,000 acres, of which a large proportion is very fertile and thoroughly adapted to 
agriculture, viticulture, horticulture, stock, and dairy farming. 

.^„ autt^ ^r tkt A^i- f ne s °il an d climate of Fresno county present a wonderful 

SOIL AND CLIMATE . , ■,, ... 1t . ,.„ -:, /:■ %.; ^ 

< variety, Irom the low rolling hills of the Coast Range on the west, 

through the fruitful valley, the river bottoms and uplands of the valley, to the summit of 
the high Sierras on the east, rising in the region of perpetual snow to an altitude of 
13,000 feet. The eastern mountain regions are always cool, and in the hot season the trav- 
eler can, by a drive of eight to ten hours from Fresno City, reach their delightful shades. 

^ xoc cc a ernvc * n Fresno county may be described as two, the dry season, 
===== — == === extending from the middle of May to November 1st, and the wet 
season from November to March, with light spring rains in March, April and part of May. 
The average rainfall is 10 inches for the season. The average number of days of sunshine 
is 275 in the year. The average mean temperature is about 60 degrees. Men and teams 
may, with very few exceptions, work every day in the year. The atmosphere is dry, 
and the temperature at no degrees in Fresno county is not nearly as exhausting as in 
the Bast and South at 85 degrees. The nights are nearly always cool, insuring a good rest 
with splendid recuperative effect. No matter how hot the day, a man can work in the 
open without fear of sunstroke. There are no damaging hail or windstorms or floods 
to menace life or property. 

(3) 



THE 'HEALTH STANDARD of Fresno county is high, the dry climate and peculiar 

conditions being conducive to a high health standard, and 

singularly enough, the hottest month of the year (July) is always the healthiest. 

Owing to the 
unusual cli- 




PRODUCTIONS 



matic and topographical condi- 
tions of Fresno county, few 
places on earth can, with equal 
success, raise the same immense 

variety of products for commer- 
cial purposes. Here are some 

of them: Cattle, horses, sheep, 
hogs, hides, wool, tallow, lumber, 
fire wood, wheat, barley, oats, 
rye, Indian corn, Egyptian corn, 
broom corn, oranges, lemons, 
olives, figs, deciduous fruits of 
all kinds, table grapes, raisin 
grapes, dried fruits, raisins, 
wine grapes, wines and brandies, 
butter, cheese, poultry, eggs, 
garden vegetables (all kinds), 
*kj&>jnu iKKiGATiiNG canai, sweet and Irish potatoes, toma- 

toes, celery, all kinds of berries, honey, etc. The number of deciduous trees is nearly 94,000, 
and being yearly increased. The raisin and wine grape acreage is considerably over 90,000.- 
Gold, copper and gypsum are extensively mined, and there is a large output of petroleum. 

(4) 



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A WORD ON IRRIGATION Water is truly the greatest factor in causing the earth to 

produce the immense variety of products which a kind 
Providence has allotted for man's use. The productiveness of an arid region depends 
entirely upon its system of 
artificial watering, called irri- 
gation. The range of the 
splendid rivers carrying their 
immense volume from the 
great watersheds in the high 
Sierras is naturally limited, 
but Fresno county's system 
of main canals, aggregating N 
over 300 miles, with a system 
of branch canals operating 
over 1000 miles, and a net- 
work of distributing canals of 
over 5000 miles in length, 
forms, with its inexhaustible 
water supply from the great 
glaciers and snow drifts of 
the high Sierras, a sure guar- 
antee that in Fresno county 
man's industry will never fail in the realization of handsome returns as its reward. The 
cost of irrigating Fresno county lands is only 62 17 2 cents per acre per annum, 

(5) 



PICKING SEASON IN A FRESNO VINEYARD 



LAND VALUE S arc governed by their producing qualities, as well as nearness to or 

remoteness from the leading business centers. 

G razing lauds, without irrigation #3 00 to $ao 00 per acre 

Alfalfa lands, with irrigation 25 00 to 50 00 per acre 

Truck farming lands, with irrigation 25 00 to 75 00 per acre 

Orange and lemon lands, unimproved, with irrigation. 60 00 to 100 00 per acre 

Vineyard land, unimproved, with irrigation 50 00 to 100 00 per acre 

< Orchard land, unimproved, with irrigation . 50 00 to 100 00 per acre 

Orchards, in full bearing, with irrigation 150 00 to 250 00 per acre 

Vineyards, in full beaing, with irrigation 250 00 to 350 00 per acre 

Lands can also be rented on reasonable terms. Splendid facilities and liberal treatment 
are held out to all desirable purchasers. 

THE COMMER/ of the county are varied, but the greatest is unquestionably the 
CIAL PRODUCTS raisin, of which Fresno county is the greatest producing district in 

the world. Knowledge of the industry is very easily acquired, and 
any man of average intelligence can readily become a successful vineyardist and raisin 
producer. The making of raisins is a very simple process. The grapes when ripe are 
picked and laid on wooden trays placed between the vine rows. After a few days' 
exposure to the sun they are turned, exposing the other side. The curing process re- 
quires about two weeks. They are next placed in boxes for a week or two and then 
hauled to the packing house. The net value of the product is about $2,500,000 annually. 
1 of production per acre, about $25; gross returns per acre, about $125, 



5£ $L 2£ WINE GRAPES also form a profitable crop and are much more easily dis- 
posed of, as they are simply picked and carted to the winery 
without further handling. There is always a good demand for Fresno county wine grapes, 
because it has the reputation of growing the best sweet wine grapes in the United States. 
Net returns of wine grape vine- 
yards run as high as $140 per 
acre. 



DECIDUOUS ORCHARDS 



o f 
all 




kinds thrive in Fresno county, 
all of them producing profitable 
crops. There are three ways 
of marketing this crop. They 
are shipped green, sold to the 
canneries for canning, or dried. 
In the drying process the fruit 
is cut in halves, the pits re- 
moved, and they are sun-dried much in the same w r ay as raisins. These orchards fre- 
quently give returns as high as $125 per acre. Varieties include apricots, peaches, 
nectarines, prunes, apples, quinces, etc. 

(7) 



A RESIDENCE ON A FRESNO COUNTY VINEYARD 



ORANGES 



P LEMONS Tn Fresno County oranges are "grown successfully wherever 
there is water, but the must successful orange lands are located 

in the eastern part of the county at the base of the foothills. The soil and climatic 

conditions in this section are 
admittedly among the best to 
be found in any part of the 
State. The citrus fruits of this 
district have repeatedly taken 
prizes at district citrus and 
State fairs and International 
expositions. The advantages 
that Fresno claims are freedom 
from frost and certain condi- 
tions of soil that produce a 
superior fruit, but the chief ad- 
vantage is that Fresno oranges 
ripen three to six weeks earlier 
than those of most other parts 
of the State, thus reaping the 
benefit of the early high prices 
in the Eastern markets. The 
future of orange culture in 

Fresno county is particularly bright. This industry holds out extraordinary induce- 

Land, with water, at $60 to $100 per acre. 

(3) 




TICKING ORANGES 



tnents to those who want to engage in it 



ALFALFA^ DAIRYING is showing the most wonderful development at present, as it 
~ " gives quick, continued returns, and without doubt opens up the 

most attractive field for the man with slender capital. Alfalfa planted in the fall, or even 
in the early spring, will yield from a ton to a ton and a half per acre, and after first year as 
high as five crops, and there ex- 
ists no better feed for cows. Very 
extensive creameries, with skim- 
ming stations are all over the 
county, where the farmers can 
sell their cream. Anyone famil- 
iar with dairying can make it a 
most profitable business and a 
splendid stepping stone to /the 
still more lucrative business of 
the orchardist or the vineyard- 
ist. Take the average yearly 
return of one cow — for butter 
fat, $55 to $60; calf and skim- 
med milk, $18 to $20, equals $75 

. ' -, ! ALFALFA IN FRESNO COUNTY 

to $80. And you can add 

a little more for the value of the hogs you feed with the skimmed milk, and remember 
that this is raised on land carrying one and one-half cow to the acre, which can be pur- 
chased, with water right, at $25 to $50 per acre. Alfalfa hay is in good demand the year 
round. A careful investigation of this industry should be made by the man of small means. 

(9) 




JV JY X JV CEREALS arc also extensively grown in Fresno county, which annually 

plants about 350,000 acres of wheat and barley. Indian corn, 
Egyptian corn and broom corn arc also largely raised. In addition to the home consump- 
tion, the value of hay and grain exports from the county approximate $1,000,000. 



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W?,- **<.W«t. 




POULTRY AND EGGS 



are a 
splen- 




did help in paying the grocery 
bill of the small farmer, and 
there is a constant demand, as 
well as a good market for them. 
Eggs ' range in , price from 10 
cents to 40 cents per dozen. The 
average price of chickens is 
about $4 per dozen. 



THE TRUCK FARMER 



finds 
here 



A COMBINED HARVESTER AT WORK 



a good soil and a"profitable field, 
where all kinds of vegetablescan 
be successfully raised and speedily sold. Smalbfruits are also very profitable, many'peo- 
ple making good livings, besides saving money, out of small holdings. 

are extensively raised, and on account of their superior flavor 
and early ripening are in great demand all over the Western 



A: /v WATERMELONS 



States. The export value is $180,000 per annum and is constantly increasing. 

(10) 



2£ 2%, THE HONEY BEE is also a splendid assistant to the farmer as a producer. 

Some small farmers actually increase their incomes from 
one thousand to twenty-five hundred dollars a year from this source alone. 

CATTLE, SHEEP ^ HOGS form important industries in Fresno county. The ideal 

conditions of feed and climate makes this a favored spot 
for reaping handsome returns on 3 T our investment. 

2£ 3£ ELECTRIC POWER in Fresno county is making rapid strides in its development. 

The San Joaquin Power Company has an immense power 
station on the San Joaquin river about thirty-five miles from Fresno City, which delivers 
power to this and surrounding counties. The company is at present putting in addi- 
tions to this plant, which will immensely augment its power facilities, in order to keep 
pace with the extraordinary industrial development of the great San Joaquin valley. 

ELECTRIC RAILROADS are rapidly belting Fresno City and county. There is a 

splendid car service all over the city, and running several 
miles out into the country. These lines are being constantly extended in all directions, 
and will have a great influence in the rapid development of this great county. 

THE RAILROAD SERVICE of Fresno county is excellent, communication being pro- 
vided by eight lines of railroad, including the great trans- 
continental lines of the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe railroads. 

(ii) 



AMONGST THE MANUFAO enterprises of Fresno county may be mentioned the 
TURING AND COMMERCIAL extensive packing houses, where the raisins and dried 

fruits are packed and prepared for shipment; also the 
immense seeding plants for extracting the raisin seeds. Altogether the enormous pro- 
portions of the fruit industry must be seen to be properly realized. There are also a 
large brewery, two large ice factories, creameries, agricultural implement works, machine 
shops, planing mills, box factories, brick works, flouring mills, etc. 

JY X IN THE MOUNTAINS in the eastern part of Fresno county almost every 

known mineral is found, but so far little has been done 
to develop her mineral wealth. In these mountains stand also the marvelous forests, 
from which Fresno county cuts her lumber supply for home use, as well as export, 
amounting to $2,000,000 annually. Some of the trees from which this lumber is cut are 
the largest in the world, measuring over one hundred feet in circumference. 

FRESNO COUNTY OIL FIELDS Oil is destined to be a great factor in the industrial 

development of this county, which is a large producer 
of crude oil. The Coalinga district is one of the most important oil districts in the State, 
producing the best quality of oil found in California. With such a great supply of cheap 
fuel within her own borders, people w r ill readily realize the promising future in store for 
Fresno county as a manufacturing center. 




(i4) 



THE WINE INDUSTRY of Fresno count} 7 deserves special mention, because its sweet 

wines are the finest in the United States. There are about 
twenty large wineries, with an annual output of $1,500,000 worth of wine and about 
$350,000 worth of brandy. This 







naturally creates a demand for 
wine grapes, and a ready cash 
return to farmers at fair prices. 

THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 

of Fresno county stand in the 
front rank as educational insti- 
tutions. The buildings are all 
modern, sanitary, handsome and 
well equipped, while the system 
of education is unexcelled. 
There are seven high schools in 
the county, two of which stand 
upon the accredited list of the 
State University, and pupils are 
graduated and prepared for the 
collegiate course. Number of 
school districts, 126; teachers 
employed, 266; number, of pupils, 11,120. Fresno is also liberally supplied with institu- 
tions of the highest class for business, music and art studies. 

U5) 








FRESNO CITY HIGH SCHOOL 



DEMAND FOR LABOR There never was a time when so great a demand existed for 

labor of all kinds, both skilled and unskilled, the great 

growth o( the county and increasing- acreag-e of fruit crops demanding- an increased 

force of laborers. Every man 
with a willing- heart and a pair 
of g-ood hands can g*et work in 
Fresno county. 

A) CITY OF FRESNO stands 

third 
in shipping- importance in Cali- 
fornia. It is the great natural 
distributing- point of the middle 
and lower parts of the San Joa- 
quin valley, and forms the 
commercial center of one of the 
richest and most productive 
districts in the wonderful State 
• of California. She has five 
Ibanks, representing- a capital 
I and surplus of over $1,500,000, 
Iwith deposits of over $5,000,000. 
Eight lines of railroads keep her in communication with the outside world, including" 
two great transcontinental lines. She has also a splendid system of electric railroads, 

(16) 





FRESNO COUNTY COURT HOUSE 



which g-ive a splendid city service and also extends for miles into the country. The city 
has a g'ood sewerage system, well paved streets, cement sidewalks, a first-class fire de- 
partment, postal, rural delivery, telephone service, gas and electric supply, a fine opera 
house, handsome churches, a new $30,000 free library — the g"ift of Mr. Andrew Carneg-ie; 
a county court house costing* over $200,000, and in prospect a Federal building - , for 
which Congress last session 
passed a bill appropriating- 
$100,000. Many of the 
business blocks are of 
hig-h architectural desigm, 
and altog-ether the impres- 
sion left upon the minds of 
her visitors are those of a 
prosperous, growing-, en- 
lightened and up-to-date 
community, with unlimited 
development before it in 
the utilization of its vast 

™. . . . , , . , SOME; OF FRESNO'S PACKING HOUSES 

resources. That is the kind 

of place we unhesitatingly ask our reader to place his confidence and his capital in. 





(17) 






FRUIT CUTTING AND DRYING 

(18) 



FRESNO COUNTY is favored with several other enterprising towns, all of them 

progressive and each more determined than the other to uphold 
the g-ood name of Fresno county as a desirable place for the homeseeker and man of 
sterling- purpose. They are: 

SANGER ^ thriving- town of nearly 2000 inhabitants, standing- in the midst of a rich 
===== agricultural section. The Sang-er Lumber Company, with extensive mills 
and yards covering- sixty-five acres, is also situated here and g-ives employment to a 
large number of men. The town is also well supplied with all the accessories of a 
thoroug-hly live community — electric light, g-ood stores, hotels, restaurants, creamery, 
newspaper, etc. The Sang-er district is irrig-ated by a bountiful supply of water from 
three good irrig-ation systems. 

RFFDI FY * s atl °ther °f Fresno county's enterprising- towns. Beautifully situated on 
== the banks of the Kings river, it stands a living- example of the resources 
of Fresno county, made possible by its wealth of water for irrigation, combined with 
land of marvelous richness, It has larg-e merchandise stores, g-ood hotels, extensive 
warehouses, newspaper, packing- houses and wineries; has great educational facilities, 
and stands on the lines of the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific railroads. In view of its 
fortunate position, it promises a great future development. 

A) SELMA * s ' next to ^ r6sno City, the oldest and larg-est town in the county. Its 
commercial interests are larg-e and varied, and it is situated in the heart of 



a prosperous and fertile district. Probably few, if any, districts in California could 
point to a greater number of people who have risen from a condition of moderate 

(19) 



moans to actual opulence through their industry and the wonderful productiveness of 
the soil. Selma is up-to-date and enterprising-, having' splendid educational facilities, 
eight churches, and two weekly newspapers, It has also good stores, banks, hotels, 
light and power company, creamery, and packing- houses, representing- larg-e invest- 
ments of capital, and giving- employment to many hundreds of people. 

FOWLER is a thriving- town 
about ten miles 
southeast of Fresno, it is a 
highly prosperous community, 
and is inhabited by a sterling- 
class of people who would be a 
credit to any place. The sur- 
rounding- country is rich in its 
producing- qualities. Fowler 
supports rive churches, each 
with a resident pastor, and its 
educational facilities are of the 
very hig-hest order, both of 
which facts speak well for the moral and intellectual standing- of the people. Fowler 
is said to be the second larg-est shipping- point for raisins in the United States, and with 
its lars^e packing- houses bring-s an easy market right to the growers of the district. 
Fowler has a free library and reading- rooms and an enthusiastic improvement club, 
which extends its energies to the sanitary betterment of the town, and also to keeping 




INTERIOR <)!•' TACKING HOUSE 



(20) 



its avenues and drives in perfect condition. The largest olive oil works in the count)- 
are here, with a capacity of 15,000 gallons per season. Fowler, from its location, is very 
healthy, has an abundance of water, and offers exceptional inducements to the rancher 
and fruit grower. 

X LATON is the youngest 
town on Fresno 
county's map, but what it lacks 
in age it makes up in enter- 
prise. Situated in the center 
of a fertile district, which is 
being rapidly settled through 
the breaking up of one of the 
old Spanish grants, it gives 
every evidence of a great 
growth in the near future. The 
locality is served by two great 
transcontinental lines, the 
Southern Pacific and the Santa 
Fe. Probably nowhere in Cali- 
fornia has a man with moderate means a greater chance than he can find here. 
CIOVIS * s a ra pidly growing town, and is the terminal of the forty-five-mile flume 
== ^^ === of the Fresno Flume and Irrigation Company, which brings from the 
mountains enormous quantities of lumber to be prepared here for the market. The 

(21) 




SHEEP IN A FRESNO COUNTY PASTURE 



surrounding country is very fertile, producing- large crops of deciduous fruits, also 
raisin and wine grapes, and the alfalfa grower is prosperous. The people are energetic 
and enterprising", and men of moderate means find this an attractive point. 



OTHER IMPORTANT and 

inter- 
esting- points scattered through- 
out the county are Pollasky, 
Academy, Toll House, Pine 
Ridge, Parlier, Kearney Park, 
Del Rey, Tarpey, Kingsburg, 
Easton, Oleander and Lone 
Star, each of them forming the 
center of prosperous districts, 
representing various branches 
of industry, such as mining, 
stockraising ori fruit growing, 
according to their locations. 
of Fresno county's mountain scenery, together with her fishing 
and hunting facilities, is unsurpassed. In many respects even the 
wonderful Yosemite Valley has to yield the point to the famous Kings River Canyon, 
one of Fresno county's natural wonders, and easily accessible by stage and trail. 




A FRESNO COUNTY SCHOOL HOUSE 



THE GRANDEUR 



(22) 



If You Want a Hew Location in a Prosperous Plate! 



We recommend the claims of Fresno county to jou 



BECAUSE 



BECAUSE 



BECAUSE 



BECAUSE 



BECAUSE 



BECAUSE 



BECAUSE 



BECAUSE 



Whether a man of moderate means or a man of wealth, you can be 

equally suited. 

The wonderful productiveness of the soil makes such a rapid accumulation 

of interest that nowhere else can you more quickly increase it. 

In few districts can you find the same unrivaled health conditions. 

Fresno county settlers become Fresno county enthusiasts. You will be 

the same if you settle here. 

In Fresno county there are no bickerings and jealousies between localities. 

No matter in what part they reside, everyone speaks with enthusiastic 

pride of their great county and her possibilities. Come amongst us and 

you will be infected with the same spirit. 

The exigencies of climate rarely ever cause you to lose a day's work. 
There are few disadvantage sand many advantages, making life a pleasure. 
Thrift and industry are sure guarantees of wealth to the Fresno county 
farmer. 

No matter how hot the day, the nights are cool, bringing comfortable rest 
and recuperation for the coming day's work. 

The land is as fertile as any in the State, while the cost of irrigating is 
cheaper than in almost any other part of the United States. 

(23) 




DAIRY SCENE IN FRESNO COUNTY 



24) 



IANKLIN PRINTING HOUSl 
FRESNO, CAL. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



017 168 261 7 



